Traders' body welcomes food Act registration deferment

The Chandigarh chapter of the Confederation of All India Traders, hailed Health Minister Harshvardhan's decision to defer the last date of obtaining registration under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, till February 4, 2015. CAIT National Secretary and Chandigarh-based entrepreneur Harish Garg and trade leaders suggested constituting a panel of senior government officials and CAIT representatives to study the Act and recommend necessary amendments to make the Act universally accepted.

Trade leaders said under the Act any food business operator which means, an institution with either profit motive or not, from the public or private sector engaged in food manufacturing, processing, packaging, storage, transportation, import, and distribution will be treated as food business operators who are bound to obtain registration and license from the concerned department.

Commenting on the statement issued by Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) Garg said, "It is certainly a big relief for traders as the Act includes various anomalies and disparities. CAIT has been opposing the Act since its rules allow multinational corporations to control and dominate the food business in India.

There are various provisions which cannot be met by domestic food business operators in the country. CAIT has been lobbying for deferring the Act since last more than two months which have been fruitful, but our fight does not end here and will continue till the end , pointed Garg.

Harish Garg said, "Under the provisions of the Act, persons engaging in food distribution will be required to obtain registration."